Portage approves SUV purchases for police

Portage residents soon will see six new police SUVs patrolling the streets, after the city’s Board of Works approved their purchase from an area dealership.

Also, the board agreed to recognize a new bargaining agent, the Operating Engineers Local 150, for clerks throughout the city’s municipal government and in the Clerk-Treasurer’s office.

The approved the purchase of the new SUVs for $161,610 from Lakeshore Ford, in Burns Harbor, a dealership that has landed a number of city contracts. The vehicles will be available ahead of city officials’ expectation, expected to arrive at the police department in mid-December, according to one police official.

One reason for the quick turnaround is Lakeshore’s decision to buy the cars before the winning the bid, as way of being prepared for the possible sale, the official said.

The board may have gotten the city off on the right foot with the union local that now will represent about five clerks in the Clerk-Treasurer’s office and 15 more throughout the city. Mayor James Snyder encouraged the board to recognize Local 150 instead of exercising the city’s right to call for employees to choose the union local in an official election.

The Operating Engineers local also represents police officers and workers in the streets, sanitation and parks departments, as well as in utility services.

In other news, the board shot down a request from Power Homes Remodeling. The company sought a solicitors permit that would have allowed it to go door-to-door throughout the city trying to drum up business.

At its last meeting two weeks ago, the board tabled the company’s bid when police hierarchy had some questions about the requisite background checks of some of the company’s employees.

The department still had those questions at Tuesday’s meeting, but, no one from the company attended the meeting to address any of those concerns.

The board also welcomed its newest member, Nicole Pleasant, who comes just months after another member, Frank Farkas, joined the board.